da dobrowin： Gareth Southgate put up a resolute defence of his decision to leave Jack Grealish and James Maddison out of England's Euro 2024 squad.
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Grealish & Maddison ignored for England dutyTottenham star unhappy with decisionSouthgate stood firm on his takeWHAT HAPPENED?
The squad selection process, which began with a preliminary roster of 33 players for warm-up matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland, culminated in the omission of seven players, including notable names like Grealish and Maddison. Other players who faced the axe were goalkeeper James Trafford, defenders Jarell Quansah and Jarrad Branthwaite and Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones – while Harry Maguire had to be left out due to a calf injury.
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Maddison, informed of his exclusion on Wednesday night, took to social media to voice his disappointment. The Tottenham midfielder, who has earned seven caps for England, admitted that his recent form post-injury had not met his own standards.
"Devastated doesn’t quite cut it," Maddison wrote. "Trained well and worked hard all week but if I’m honest with myself, my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn’t at the levels I had set which gave Gareth a decision to make".
WHAT GARETH SOUTHGATE SAID
During a press conference, Southgate elaborated on the reasoning behind his choices, emphasising that the decisions were based on current form and contributions over the past season. "All the players took the news really respectfully," he stated. "Of course, all players will believe they should be in, and that’s why they are top players. They have that self-belief and mindset, but the fact is we have some players who have been playing extremely well all season in the league".
Southgate acknowledged the depth of talent in attacking positions, noting that while Grealish and Maddison bring unique qualities to the squad, other players had outperformed them in recent months. "We just feel other players had stronger seasons, particularly in the last six months or so," he explained.
"Attacking areas, in particular, we’re blessed with a lot of options, all slightly different. Madders and Jack both give us something different as well. They’ve been tough calls, calls that we as a group have gone over and over and over".
DID YOU KNOW?
Declan Rice, a key figure in the England squad, expressed the emotional toll of losing close teammates. "It’s been really tough. Madders and Jack are two of my best mates in the squad, probably spent most of my time with them since I’ve been here," Rice shared during the press conference. "To see them go is not a nice feeling. And they’ve both just said then, before they went, Madders last night, Jack just now, that they wish us all the best".
However, Rice highlighted the close-knit nature of the team, stressing that no bitterness lingered despite the disappointing news. "They’re gutted they’ve been left out of the squad. We’re so close as a group and no one is feeling really bitter about being left out".